CENTRAL NEW YORK – For the Cazenovia boys lacrosse team heading into the Section III Class D playoffs, the ultimate question was how the toll of so many close defeats would affect its confidence.
Designated the no. 3 seed for the sectional Class D tournament, Cazenovia would host no. 6 seed General Brown in Saturday’s quarterfinal round – and nearly saw its season end, only to rescue it and, with Brody Coleman leading the way, getting an 11-10 overtime victory over the Lions.
All game long, it was close and tense. The two sides were tied 2-2 after one quarter, with Cazenovia inching in front 5-4 by halftime as Coleman scored twice and got two assists, with Forrest Ives adding two goals and D.B. Falge another.
The Lakers’ margin stretched to 9-7 going into the fourth quarter, but then GB rattled off three straight goals to go in front, 10-9, pushing Cazenovia’s season to the brink.
It took Ives netting the tying goal with 1:11 left in regulation a man-up to tie it and Coleman, who had assisted on the tying tally, stepping up in OT and putting home the game-winner, his fifth goal of the afternoon to go with three assists.
Ives had scored four times, with Falge netting the other two. Tucker Ives had eight saves as the Lakers advanced to Tuesday’s semifinal against no. 3 seed Marcellus, the winner to get Skaneateles or LaFayette in the finals.
Before all this, Cazenovia endured another close call last Tuesday in the regular-season finale, unable to upend its Laker rivals from Skaneateles in a 9-7 loss.
As it turned out, the first quarter played a large role in the outcome. Skaneateles jumped out to a 4-1 advantage, and would spend the rest of the game protecting it.
Cazenovia closed within 5-3 by halftime, and through an exciting third quarter saw all of its scoring plays matched by the visiting Lakers.
Then Cazenovia only scored once in the final period asColeman finished the night with four goals, with Falge converting twice and Forrest Ives getting the other goal as James LaFever had an assist.
Tucker Ives made eight saves, but Skaneateles counterpart Luke Renaud had 11 saves as Ethan Hunt (four goals), Jeff McCrone (three goals) and Jack Weeks (two goals) accounted for all of the visitors’ production.
Chittenango ran into LaFayette last Tuesday and, while putting up plenty of goals, still lost 20-12 to the Lancers.
Conner Meeks-Vaughn led the Bears with five goals, while Brendon Barnard had four goals and one assist. Alex Moesch scored twice and Vince Lazzaro added a goal as LaFayette attacker Jameson Bucktooth piled up five goals and seven assists to lead his side.
Despite this, Chittenango gained the no. 8 seed for the sectional Class C playoffs. Put into an opening-round game last Thursday against no. 9 seed Fulton, the Bears roared past the Red Raiders 19-6.
Nine first-quarter goals set the tone and it was 16-4 by halftime, Chittenango seeing Barnard and Alex Moesch each finish the night with four goals and four assists.
Ryan Moesch scored five times, adding an assist. Meeks-Vaughn got three goals and three assists, while Lazzaro had a goal and two assists. Tom Navin and Jaden Miner also found the net.
All this meant was that the Bears had to face top seed and state no. 4-ranked Christian Brothers Academy in Saturday’s quarterfinals, where its season ended with a 19-7 loss to the Brothers.
The first quarter decided matters, CBA bolting to a 10-1 advantage, and though Chittenango fared better as the game went on, it never recovered from that initial outburst as Meeks-Vaughn had three goals, with Barnard scoring twice and single goals going to Miner and Lazzaro.
Chittenango’s season finished with a 9-9 record, a sign that the program is making some strides even as it know it’s several steps behind the top area Class C sides.
